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10 Non-Evil But Still Excellent April Fools Pranks

We recently hosted a live hangout on Facebook to celebrate the end of winter. It was a fun and frantic online hangout filled with laughter and lively discussion. We invited the partygoers to share their favorite April Fools Day prank. Here are some of the best: My husband moved all of the clocks ahead 5 hours when I fell asleep on the couch. Woke up thinking that to had to get up for work in 45 minutes when it was really only 2:30 in the morning! (Lisa Toli) Mashed potato ice cream cones. (via Sarah Jenkins) At work, put the phone in the ceiling tiles. Or tape down the phone receiver. (via LA Denniston Klitzke) My daughter put a rubber band around the kitchen sink sprayer. (via Karen Spicher Zakin) Flour was put on the ceiling fan in the winter time...first spring day it was warm, the fan was turned on... (via Sue Gudenkauf) Moved my coworker's cup from where she put it on the drinking fountain to a shelf on the opposite back wall. Took her an hour to find it. (via …

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How to Make Spring Cleaning Way More Fun

Last week we hosted a live party over on Facebook to celebrate the end of winter. (Winter exacted her revenge by dumping several inches of snow on us a few days later, which obviously proves that Winter has Adultitis.) Anyway, it was a fun and frantic online hangout filled with laughter and lively discussion. One of the topics that came up was spring cleaning. Namely, how to make it more FUN. (Is it even possible?) You could try what my two-year-old son Ben did last year, which was to just throw everything out the window. Or you could try some of these gems, shared by some fellow Escape Artists: Crank Up the Music Many people talked about the power of music to inspire movement and make things more fun. Of course, the style of music is up to you, but 90's music, 80’s music, dance music, and children’s music were all mentioned as options. And Wendy Whitney Scherer said she prefers Wisconsin Public Radio’s humorous and educational weekend shows. Dance Like No One’s …

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Meet Marty, Mini Adultitis Fighter

One of the best ways to defeat Adultitis is to set booby traps for it. An Adultitis Booby Trap is a simple item or routine you incorporate into your life for the purpose of serindipitously reminding yourself to smile, laugh, or take yourself lightly, particularly when Adultitis levels are at their highest. Our favorite Adultitis Booby Trap involves a tiny penguin eraser called Marty. For many years, we used Gumby's friend Pokey until we stumbled upon Marty, who reminded us of the hero on the cover of my book), and has since become a champion of dreaming big, ignoring common knowledge, and not waiting for permission. Almost anything can work, but the best candidates are small and waterproof. The game is a bit like Hide & Seek, except instead of hiding and finding each other, you hide Marty. One person starts out with the task of hiding Marty in a place someone else will eventually find it. The person who finds Marty is then in charge of hiding him again, as the game continues …

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The Penny Date

When you have a map to anywhere and GPS in your pocket, it’s really hard to get lost. I think that’s too bad, because sometimes getting lost can lead to great adventures. Someone shared the idea of a “Penny Date” with me, and I wanted to pass it along. The first rule is to get dressed to out and grab a penny. Get in the car and let your partner choose a number between 10 and 20. This will be the number of times you flip the penny. Pull out of the driveway and begin your adventure. Heads is right, Tails is left. Every time you come to an intersection, flip the penny and turn the corresponding direction. Once you get to the number your partner picked at the beginning, stop. Look around. Make a date where you are. Pretty neat idea, isn’t it? Of course, this could be easily adapted for different scenarios. I regularly go on date nights with my daughter Lucy, and this would work just as well with her. Not to mention outings with the whole family or a couple of friends. You don’t …

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The Perfect Gift is Not For Sale

What do you get for the person that has everything? What's an equally great gift for the person who has next to nothing? Easy. How about the gift of time? Last Christmas, an acquaintance of ours gave her children a piece of paper emblazoned with the words, "The Gift of Time." Each kid got to pick an activity to do with just Mom and Dad. For example, one of the girls elected to go to a theatrical production of RENT. I guarantee those memories made will last longer than some gadget that could have been gifted instead, destined to be sold at a garage sale sometime down the line. Every time I clean the house, I'm reminded that it would be a whole lot easier if we just had less stuff. The last few years, we've encouraged friends and family to contribute toward experiences for our kids. A number of them pitched in towards private swimming lessons for Lucy. She loves it! She looks forward to her swim time every week, and I can't believe how much her confidence has grown in the …

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Thou Shalt Not Have Fun in Elevators

Willy Wonka’s glass elevator was an Adultitis Antidote. How many elevators can you say that about? With all due respect to Aerosmith, elevators are not usually bastions of fun. They are awkward little boxes in which everyone stares blankly at the floor numbers, tightens the sphincter, and puts on their best grown-up face while staring straight ahead. It's the equivalent of entering a walk-in closet with random strangers and closing the door. But taking a page out of Mr. Wonka’s book is not that hard. My friend Dan plays a game called Elevator Fight Club with his kids. When they are in an elevator together, after the doors close, they begin a fake boxing match with each other. The action stops as soon as the doors re-open. Dan has reported that it’s not uncommon for the fight to resume quietly even when someone else is with them. And of course, the first rule of Elevator Fight Club is that you do not talk about Elevator Fight Club, so I've already said too much. Innocent, a …

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Small Rebellion #9: Pay It Backward

Imagine placing an order at a drive-thru restaurant. (And yes, you definitely want fries with that.) You pull up to the window and begin digging out some cash only to learn from the store employee that the person ahead of you already paid for your meal. Wouldn’t that make you feel amazing? If you were having a bad day up until that point, what are the odds that your mood changes? This concept is known as “paying it backward.” It’s similar to “paying it forward,” which is the expression for describing when the beneficiary of a good deed repays it to someone else instead of the original benefactor. Paying it forward is a reaction to something that’s already happened. Paying it backward is starting the action in the first place. And it’s definitely a small rebellion. …

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Dinnertime Shenanigans: Ye Olde Timey Dinner

When you’re a kid, dressing up all fancy for dinner is exciting. Although it can be fun for grown-ups too, it doesn’t take long for Adultitis to creep in when one begins to worry about which fork to use or whether or not you have spinach in your teeth. The premise of an Olde Timey Dinner -- one of the highlights from the 2014 Escape Adulthood Summit -- is to keep the fun and ditch the pretense. You don’t need to attend an Escape Adulthood Summit to experience the fun of Ye Olde Timey Dinner. Here are some tips for hosting your own: WHAT to EAT You can serve whatever you want, but the most important thing is to use the good china. If you need some convincing, read this. Even Kraft Macaroni & Cheese takes on gourmet status when served on fancy plates. (If you don’t have any fancy plates, just put the lights down low and light a few candles — instant fancy!) If you need some inspiration, we had fun putting a childlike spin on the traditional seven-course format with the …

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5 Ways to Turn Messes into Memories

Our society is over-sanitized. We emphasize order and cleanliness and anti-bacterial EVERYTHING. But when kids do what comes naturally — get messy — good things result. Not only does Adultitis throw a hissy fit, but according to a 2012 report by The National Wildlife Federation, playing in the mud provides benefits to immune systems, hearts and skin, as well as kids’ emotional wellbeing and learning skills. According to Dr. Joel Weinstock, director of gastroenterology and hepatology at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, “Children raised in an ultraclean environment are not being exposed to organisms that help them develop appropriate immune regulatory circuits.” For their own benefit, Dr. Weinstock argues, “Children should go barefoot in the dirt, play in the dirt and not have to wash hands when they come in to eat.” In addition to Adultitis prevention and health benefits, messes are an especially effective way to create memories with the people you love. (Not to mention the awesome …

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Who’s Up for an Ugly Dinner?

If you’ve been around here for any length of time, you certainly know of our proclivity for Ugly Treats. We wholeheartedly encourage people to make disgusting-looking cookies, cakes, and other desserts...just for fun. Well, an astute reader recently reminded me that dessert doesn’t have to be the only food group up for an ugly makeover. She pointed me to an article highlighting 21 Truly Upsetting Vintage Recipes. Below are a few of my favorites: Liver Sausage Pineapple Imagine mixing together liver sausage, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, mayonnaise and gelatin into the shape of a pineapple. Then imagine the people you made it for hating you forever. Monterey Soufflé Salad This one looks totally great; I'm just not a fan of pimentos. Or mixing seafood and lemon Jell-O. But that's just me. Super Salad Loaf If you want to be happy when company comes...then don't make this. Granted, each of these dishes look like they’ve been beaten repeatedly with the ugly …

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